Cleveland Cavaliers rookie Cedi Osman might be as beloved as former Cav Matthew Dellavedova. He certainly provides a comparable impact.
The fanfare that Cedi Osman has received since being drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers has been quite the sight.
Osman, the 31st pick of the 2015 NBA Draft, hails from Turkey. There, the 22-year-old small forward made a name for himself with his intensity, soft touch around the rim and game-changing defensive plays. That allowed him to earn heavy minutes for Anadolu Efes despite his youth, an accomplishment in and of itself considering that veteran players in the Euroleague are usually the ones to receive playing time, regardless of the potential and talent of their young players.
Osman, a player who also displayed point-forward abilities, a low-post game and a dependable jump shot, was certainly deserving of the minutes from a talent standpoint. Osman’s versatility allowed him to average 13.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.4 steals per 36 minutes while shooting 41.6 percent from the field and 35.6 percent from three-point range for Anadolu Efes after four seasons.
Those numbers aren’t flashy but Osman, a solid if unspectacular athlete, made flashy plays on both ends by using his physical tools, focus, basketball IQ and skill.
His game travels.
Now a NBA rookie, Osman is averaging 10.6 points, 8.2 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 1.1 steals per 36 minutes while shooting 51.3 percent from the field and 38.9 percent from three-point range. Per 36 minutes, Osman ranks 10th on the team in points, is tied for 4th in rebounds (with LeBron James) and is tied for 7th in steals (with Jeff Green). His field goal percentage is the 3rd-highest on the team while his three-point percentage is the 5th-highest. Osman’s offensive rating (106) is tied for 8th-place (with Jae Crowder) while his defensive rating (109) is in a three-way tie for 4th-place (with Dwyane Wade and Channing Frye).
Since shooting guard Iman Shumpert’s knee injury (which required arthroscopic surgery), Osman has received regular playing time. Averaging 10.0 minutes per game over his last eleven games, Osman has played ten or more minutes in six contests and played at least 10 minutes in the Cavs’ last five games.
These minutes include crunchtime, like on Saturday night as Osman played nearly 23 minutes and played the entire fourth quarter on his way to averaging a career-high 10 points (on 4-5 shooting from the field, 2-2 from three-point range).
If Osman was to play more consistently, he could likely consistently post double-digit scoring totals. In his last eleven games, Osman is averaging 10.8 points per 36 minutes (along with 9.0 rebounds, 0.7 assists and 1.4 steals per game).
Cavs fans gobble up news about Osman ravenously. Their in-game reactions, the audible gasps, oohs, aahs and screams that accompany any play he does – or might – complete illustrates just how much this fan base wants him to succeed.
His branding as “The First Cedi” is ingenious while his team-first attitude and fearlessness endear him to fans even more.
Osman, a hustle player who draws comparisons to ever-energetic teammate Tristan Thompson and former Cav Matthew Dellavedova, has more support behind him than any young player that’s been in town since James’ return. Perhaps it’s a desire for the Cavs to develop their in-house talent without a chance to sign a marquee free agent, especially given the success that Western Conference teams such as the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs have had in recent years by developing their organic talent.
For Osman, the comparisons to a fan favorite in “Delly” are spot-on despite the fact they play two different positions. While not the most talented point guard in terms of scoring ability and athleticism, Dellavedova gave his all on the defensive end, was always a dependable off-ball threat and was a smart player who played the right way.
In three seasons with the Cavs, Dellavedova shot 39.5 percent from the field but 39.8 percent from three-point range while averaging 9.8 points, 5.8 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 0.8 steals per 36 minutes.
Osman is showing signs of being exactly what Delly was though the two play different positions. He clearly crashes the glass and displays a team-first attitude like Thompson but it’s his play on the perimeter (on both ends), the decision-making and the reception to anything Cedi-related that’s been reminiscent of the adulation Dellavedova received though.
Aside from his off-ball shooting (41.2 percent on catch-and-shoot attempts), Osman causes opposing teams to record an offensive rating of 105.7 when he’s on the court and that number jumps to 110.6 when he’s on the bench.
A couple of key quotes stick out from Saturday’s postgame interviews, a game in which Osman received the game ball despite James’ triple-double, the 60th of his career and one that allowed him to pass Hall of Famer Larry Bird for the 6th-most triple-doubles in NBA history.
Quotes from James and Cavs head coach Tyronn Lue transcribed by cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor:
"“When you get an opportunity, you start gaining confidence and, obviously, that’s what’s been happening with Cedi,” James said. “The coaches have been giving him confidence. We trust him out on the floor. Whoever is on the floor, we trust whoever’s on the floor. You make play after play after play, you start to (think), ‘Yea, ok, I belong in this league.'”"
"“He’s always active. He has great hands, plays hard,” Lue said. “Sometimes he gets overanxious, sometimes he fouls jump shooters because he wants to contest every shot. But he plays hard every single night and that’s all you can ask. You’re not going to be able to stop these guys in the NBA every single night, especially one-on-one. But if you’re competing and give the effort every night that’s all you can ask for and that’s what Cedi does.”"
Is that not how Cavs players, coaches and fans viewed Dellavedova (aside from the overanxious bit)?
The First Cedi is also The New Delly.
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*Unless otherwise referenced, all stats gathered from www.basketball-reference.com prior to December 18th, 2017